Border Police shot dead a 16-year-old female Bedouin terrorist who opened fire on them at the entrance to a base in the Negev.
At about 1:45 p.m. Saturday the terrorist, who was covered from head to toe in Bedouin garb, arrived at the gate of the Border Police base at Shoket Junction, northeast of Be’er Sheva, and attempted to enter. When the guard approached her she drew a handgun and began firing.
The guard managed to push her hand away and deflect the gun. He continued to talk to her in Arabic and asked her to put down the gun (it is not clear whether the guard was a Bedouin himself, or a Druze). Meanwhile, he called for backup.
Islamic Jihad suspected
Chief Inspector Ofir Yiberkan approached and saw the terrorist near the base’s perimeter fence, firing into the base. He fired and killed her.
Additional forces arrived, including two bomb squad robots that were used to make sure the terrorist was not carrying explosives.
According to Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen, police and the Shin Bet are investigating the terrorist’s background. He said it is possible that the Islamic Jihad terror group in Hevron sent her on the mission.
The terrorist was identified as Basma Awad an-Nabari, a 16 year old high school student from the Bedouin settlement of Houra, near the location of the attack. She was reportedly an excellent student and came from a stable family.